Options for the Penguins’ pair of second round draft picks

The draft is coming up, who might be in the conversation for Pittsburgh’s 44th and 46th overall picks?

The meat of the NHL draft is coming up today starting at 11am on ESPN+ and the Penguins’ primary focus will be in the middle of the second round. Pittsburgh has their second round selection at 46, and another pick they got in the Jake Guentzel trade from Carolina at 44 overall. Being in the same neighborhood makes it a little easier to look at some names that could be around at that time.

A big disclaimer, and important to keep in mind is the huge swings variability for draft lists. One person’s 40th overall could be another’s 85th, and vice versa. So by no means should this be expected to end up as predictive of how NHL teams will operate, but seeing some potential names matched to the 44th and 46th overall picks will make for good enough fun.

We start by looking within, at Kyle Dubas and tendencies. From last year, we broke it down the analysis of:

-Heavy on forwards early in the draft, with no particular preference in what area in the world they come from

-Lots of right handed defensemen

-Eventually an emphasis on US players later in the draft

-Probably drafting a goalie at some point, but only during Round 4 or later

-More of a European haul (especially in Russia) than most other NHL teams in the modern era

-Lack of frequent first round picks, but keeping second rounders

-Despite a willingness to get a big guy like Matthew Knies, general forward profile of draftees trends towards smaller, higher-skilled type of players. Pittsburgh kid Ty Voit (fifth round pick in 2021) could be perfect example of that- has blossomed into the OHL’s second-leading scorer in 2022-23 with 105 points, despite being listed at 5’9 and 151 pounds. Not all Toronto players are that small, but under Dubas they’ve definitely been looking for the “next Jake Guentzel” types who might be small on draft day but have high ceilings for the future.

-Generally defensively, Toronto was compiling puck moving defensemen (Sandin, Durzi) with skating/IQ qualities over physical profiles.

Overall, Dubas held to that in 2023. He took Brayden Yager high as a skilled but well-rounded center. Three of the team’s six selections were Finns. There was a high-upside Russian selected in the fifth round.

With that playbook in mind, here’s what some sources have left as the best remaining choices today when the draft re-starts at pick 33. Pittsburgh will have to wait a few turns (barring a trade) to step to the podium for the first time in this draft.

First, Redline Report:

And here’s Bob McKenzie from TSN’s upper half of the second round. Players highlighted in yellow are already off the board as a result of being selected in the first round tonight. That means a few McKenzie first round projections like Ryder Ritchie and Andrew Basha are still available. There’s another player, Ben Danford, that McKenzie had at 54 that is already off the board. As mentioned above, the variability of individual draft boards cannot be under-stated.

Our old pals at Habs Eyes on the Prize do extensive draft research and great work in the process and have listed the following players as the best remaining entering the second day of the draft:

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So what will it mean for the Penguins? Kyle Dubas has recently said (in nicer words) that the team’s current lack of high-end prospects means that Pittsburgh will attempt to draft the best player available when they’re up, rather than focus on any specific position. Smart choice, that.

Recalling some of Dubas’ tendencies in taking big swings for skill and being less hesitant than most in the NHL to bring on Russians, Nikita Armatonov starts to stand out. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranked Armatonov the 30th best prospect and said:

Artamonov played a notable role on a KHL team, including as an important part of Torpedo’s power play. He’s a forward with excellent hands, sense and vision and can make a lot of creative plays. That he’s a strong skater and able to create offense with pace is what has helped his game translate versus men so quickly, as he has often beaten KHL defensemen with his skill. You rarely see KHL draft eligibles help a team, never mind two on the same club in him and Silayev. Artamonov isn’t that big, he isn’t a natural finisher, and while he competes well enough, I wouldn’t call him the type of competitor you’d love to have in a small winger. It’s why he projects more as a middle-six scorer.

Of course, knowing the NHL draft, it’s possibly as likely that Armatonov would be selected 33rd overall as it is that he is still on the board at 44 — which makes predictions this deep almost impossible. But from scouting reports and history, this player’s profile does align with what Dubas likes to do. Whether or not he’ll have that opportunity to make this pick, only time can tell.

Similarly, Igor Chernyshov (who Pronman lists at 18 and McKenzie has at 21) might be the home run pipe dream for Pittsburgh at 44. Ideally he might slide, but it would be understandable if a team with a high second round pick felt he was worth taking at this point, before the Pens get the chance. Pronman profiles Chernyshov with the following:

Chernyshov was very good at the junior level in Russia and earned ice time up in the KHL with a regular shift for a top team in Dynamo Moscow. He’s a big, powerful winger who skates well and has a lot of offensive creativity. He beats defenders routinely with his one-on-one plays, sees the ice well and can create at the net. He’s not going to run players over with his physical play, but he uses his body to create offense. He has the ability to control play at even strength due to his variety of tools and looks the part of a potential strong top-six winger in the NHL.

If those skilled Russians are picked ahead of time, or if the Pens simply prefer to look in other directions — there will still be several appealing directions to travel instead. There could be a lot of defensemen with upside still available like Cole Hutson, Henry Mews and Aron Kiviharju.

There’s some big boys who could be in this range like Adam Jecho, Jesse Pulkkinen, Julius Miettinen, Will Skahan and Adam Kleber — most of whom are in the 6’4+ range and well over 200 pounds already.

On the other end of the spectrum, smaller skilled players like Teddy Stiga and Tanner Howe. Keep an eye on Max Plante (brother of Penguin draft pick Zam Plante) as well.

In the Sidney Crosby era, it’s been rare that the Pens have had two top-50 picks. They will barely scrape in this season with 44 and 46, but it’ll make the middle of the second round an exciting time for an organization hoping to land future NHL players while adding what should be two of the more impressive young prospects in the organization at this point from the moment the picks are made.